China launched a commercially designed carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Wednesday, breaking the delivery record of its kind.

The rocket, CERES-1 Y4 lifted off at 2:20 p.m. and sent five small satellites into the sun-synchronous orbit (SSO).

The satellites are part of the Jilin-1 Gaofen satellite series. Gaofen is an abbreviation for "high resolution" in Chinese. The series is expected to have 138 satellites by 2025 and become the largest commercial observation constellation in China. 

It is the first time China launched a constellation network using a commercially designed rocket.

Developed by the Beijing-based aerospace company Galactic Energy, the rocket is a four-stage solid-fuel launch vehicle, customizable for small satellite launch missions.

The rocket, with a diameter of 1.4 meters and a length of 19 meters, has a liftoff weight of 30 tonnes. It can send a payload of 350 kilograms to a low-Earth orbit and 300 kilograms to a 500-kilometer SSO. 

The flight is the fourth launch mission for CERES-1. The company has delivered 14 satellites into space.